Never let schooling get in the way of your education – Mark Twain Hard and technical skills we are told become outdated as fast as we obtain them, making a commitment to lifelong learning even more important than ever. Content learned in the first year of an engineering degree is said to be out of date before the end…

Executive Presence Rules are confusing! No kidding! We’ve read a lot recently about executive presence and the hype associated with those indefinable characteristics  style, substance and character or charisma, communication and appearance.  A veritable industry has been spawned to define and navigate this amorphous concept which apparently is perceived to contribute by 26% to successful career progression. So is there…

What is executive presence? Do you have it? What are the intangibles, the “je ne sais quoi” or X Factors that make the difference between being the person who stands out and commands a room, or who disappears and becomes invisible in the crowd?  How is a person able to inspire confidence and trust of those around him or her, to become a respected…

Do you have a career plan? The likelihood of most of us sitting down every year with a professional career coach to create an annual career strategy is about as great as chocolate cream cake becoming a zero calorie dessert any time soon.  No one would think of having a medical with an unqualified doctor or getting their cars serviced at an…

A tale of two ostriches is about two people who confused personal development with ambition. Time to get your head out of the sand! Esther Esther is 45. She has worked for the same company for 15 years. She enjoys her job as a middle management customer service supervisor which is varied and demanding.  Her family is…

Suzannah works in investment banking. She is on track for a senior role and intends to have a high 6 figure salary (at least) by the time she is 40. Her goal is to break through the glass ceiling in this male dominated sector which has less than 10%  women at board level. Sacrifice culture A 70 hour week…

Men consider nip-tuck and other cosmetic surgery to promote and protect their careers Remember, you heard it here first! Nip-tuck is  becoming part of a career strategy for men to beat down competition from younger men and women and to beat age bias. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, I simply didn’t take it…

Salary negotiation from a position of strength We wouldn’t dream of selling our homes without knowing it’s value on the market.  Why do we approach salary negotiation from a place of ignorance or misinformation, Price awareness We live in a culture where most women know the the value of their homes on the property market. We…